Chapter One - Wildflowers, By Vlpn

1. Wildflowers

    We should go, Schwester prodded, pressing the request into Eskil’s mind with a sense of dutiful urgency.  She looked upwards at the taller esk, but Eskil’s pale face looked toward to something that held her interest in the distance.

    Eskil? Schwester asked, dark eyes squinting upwards, I want to go.  It wasn’t so much as a request this time as it was an insistence.  Schwester couldn’t place a name to it, but the chatter of something happening stirred something within Schwester’s soul.  A need that she couldn’t quite sequester away. It, like the talk of the plains, swept through her like wildfire, until her entire being rang with the irrepressible want to travel to this place and see what this hubbub was about.

    Eskil finally turned to look at her friend, who’s face held such hope and desire to bring her along.  It tugged at her too; even though she did not understand the strong motivation Schwester may have for this peculiar journey, she couldn’t deny her friends simple request. Eskil’s dark eyes creased with kindness,

    Ok, she conceded, joy blossomed across Schwester’s face, I will come with you.  Schwester’s enthusiasm rang happily through Eskil’s mind, and Eskil was content with this decision.  Eskil followed behind Schwester as they left the towering trees of the forest and she contemplated. She sensed the distance would be great, and though she trusted Schwester deeply, Eskil wondered if they would need someone more.  They would need help.

--

    A feeling thrummed within Ni’s chest.  A persistent itch that he could not scratch.  It wasn’t bad and wasn’t as if it bothered him, but it constantly hung within his mind. It’s hum was like a small buzz, just faint enough the he could not forget.

   

    A subtle hill rose above the gentle waves of the plains.  Ni settled comfortably upon the rise. His short legs folded beneath him as he peered above the grass.  His long billed face was warmed by the rising sun climbing with it’s own slow pace above the horizon. His back felt light without the familiar mushrooms that stood between his shoulders.  The smaller hemimycena’s had long crumbled into a frail nothing when he had stepped beyond the cabin he called home. Ni, like many others, had heard the whispered rumors about Vetru.  A name unfamiliar on his tongue, but a curiosity, strong and pulling, had lulled him to his feet and to wander far from the craggy mountains he knew so well.  After many steps and several miles, he’d descended from the steep slopes and into the steady foothills before reaching the sweeping expanse of the plains. He had paused at the rise, marveling at the elegant scene displayed before him.  The beauty of new places never failed to mesmerize him.

--

    The pieces of nature that adorned Schwester crumbled as she stepped with dainty feet onto the carpet of grass extending before them.  Tiny blades waved the gentle breeze that marked the end of the dawn but not the end of what they would encounter.

    Schwester bounded before the pair. Her mane bare of the pine that normally entwined between the strands.  Eskil found the appearance odd, but then again, she looked back onto herself and at the long branches that always accompanied her no matter how far she traveled, she would look different too without them. Schwester looked back, making sure Eskil was still following before continuing to walk boldly forward.  Her eyes were wide with wonder as insects hummed upward from this new land. So many things she’d never seen before, new smells, new excitement, yet something brooded in the back of Schwester’s mind. The same urgent want to come here was not for happy things. No, Schwester slowed her step, there was more, and it was not as happy as this.

    Schwester and Eskil topped a swell to see a myriad of blooms greet them.  It was as if the prairie was giving them the view as a gift for coming so far to hear what their protector had to say.  Swathes of blues and purples were intermingled with reds and golds. Neither had seen such an intense congregation of flora in a long time.  Their amazement was portrayed by the silence that hung between them, their anticipating gazes drinking in the prairie’s resplendence.

    A figure nearby caught Schwester’s attention, another esk lay amongst the glorious blossoms.

    Hello? Schwester asked the stranger, her inquisition was soft and gentle. At least that’s what she intended, but the longer billed esk startled.  Their small form recoiled away from Schwester, as if they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t.

    I didn’t mean to startle you! she quickly back-pedaled, stepping closer, trying to repair the unexpected social blunder.

    Who are you talking with Schwester? Eskil questioned, her mind just catching the tail end of Schwester’s words floating as wisps on the breeze.  Her head peered behind Schwester as she tried to see who their new companion was.

     The stranger shook their head and seemed only more startled at Eskil’s sudden appearance,

   

    I, erm, they stammered, their feet carrying their short body backwards.  A back-foot caught the edge of a dip and sent the poor esk clamoring backwards. Even more flustered, they gathered themselves awkwardly back onto all fours and skittered away through the flowers.  Schwester glanced at Eskil,

    Did I say something wrong? She asked, equally confused as her traveling partner.  Eskil didn’t answer but peered after the esk with a considerate curiosity.  A scuttling sound, the rapid steps of a mouse rummaging within the undergrowth, pulled Schwester’s attention elsewhere, but Eskil followed the hasty esks retreat.  Something about them piqued recognition.

--

    Ni stumbled through the flowers. His feet seemed to have a mind of their own as he tried to pull himself back together after his age-old instinct to shy away from the new raised it’s persistent head.  The sudden visitor had definitely frightened him, even though he recognized Eskil, and the newcomer, someone Ni didn’t know, but that's besides the point. The point was that they looked like they belonged here. The stranger, invigorated by the meadow, seemed to bound with such effortless energy, and Eskil, with all her grace, sweeping along behind. They seemed like they naturally fit  in such a eloquent place, whereas Ni did not. With his long face, he felt unbalanced and entirely imperfect. He didn’t deserve to sit among these perfect blossoms. Maybe Vetru’s invitation didn’t mean to include him.

    You are too hard on yourself Ni, a voice gently corrected, Ni glanced behind him, Eskil’s tall form silhouetted  against the blue-ing sky.

    I just, he started and then ended with a sigh, I shouldn’t be here.  Eskil tilted her head,

    I would not have been called if you didn’t belong,  she said, affection accenting her words, come, she beckoned to him, yet Ni hesitated.  How could he repair the rude departure with the esk he did not know? Eskil sensed the pause,

    Schwester is kind, she added, and she will need our help too. Eskil added, the malignant feeling that hung over Schwester’ inquiry to come did not escape Eskil. It did not frighten her, but it did worry her.  Eskil, in their long travel, had concluded that whatever reason had the plains guardian had called to them was important, but it seemed vastly beyond what just Eskil and Schwester could offer.

    We need your help, Eskil said, her tone finally convincing Ni to push away his hesitation and pursue what was being asked of him.

https://www.deviantart.com/vlpn/art/Ch1-Wildflowers-val-ravn-757824668

Base Score: 12.5 GP (Writing: 1253 words)
+10 GP (Event Bonus)
+6 GP (Storyteller Bonus: 6 GP * 1)
Total GP per submission: 28.5